Junior Gage O’Brien is seeded 10th in the shot put. O’Brien practices his stance. (Ahna Clark/TommieMedia)
Gage O’Brien is ranked in the shot put. O’Brien seeks feedback from Assistant Coach Becky Culp. (Ahna Clark/TommieMedia)
Freshman thrower Megan Gehrke practices the shot put. Gehrke is ranked 9th in the nation. (Ahna Clark/TommieMedia)
Both throwers, O’Brien and Gehrke, practice with and support one another for the upcoming trip to Nationals. (Ahna Clark/TommieMedia)
Senior Eric Holst is nationally ranked in the weight throw. Holst will compete at Nationals in Boston. (Ahna Clark/TommieMedia)
The University of St. Thomas men’s track and field team continued their streak when they won the 2019 MIAC indoor championships for the 35th year in a row in February. The team has never lost an indoor championship in the history of the MIAC.
Perhaps the program’s slogan, ‘Tradition Never Graduates,’ has something to do with the championship legacy.
“This 35th is special. It is just a continuation of a lot of success from those who have gone before, but is special in that it is an individual group,” coach Steve Mathre said.
Mathre has coached the Tommies to victory for 24 seasons. He was named MIAC Coach of the Year and Central Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association in March.
This indoor season was a good one for the Tommies. Along with their 35th MIAC indoor championship, the men’s team had 10 athletes named All-Region with top-five indoor performances in 2019.
In addition, they moved up five spots in the national power rankings by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association from No. 17 to No. 12.
“That shows that the men competing are not satisfied,” sophomore Carl Kozlowski said. “No one is backing down, everyone is continuing to beat their previous bests and setting new goals.”
Kozlowski won conference Track Athlete of the Week after taking first in both the 800 and 1,000 meter races in late February.
The indoor season came to a close on March 8-9 with seven male athletes competing in eight events at nationals in Boston.
“We have a lot of good quality student athletes,” Mathre said. “I think when they arrive they find a strong culture that centers around a quality experience and light-minded success oriented teammates, so it feeds off each other every year.”
The program succeeds year in and year out for two reasons: the athletes and institutional support.
“Every single MIAC championship we approach with that same energy. We are there to compete, to win and we’re going to do it again, because we’ve done it the last 35 years,” Kozlowski said.
Although the indoor season is longer, it is made up of quality teaching, coaching, and well-controlled practices. Productivity is high because the environment doesn’t change.
Indoor track also prepares the team for the unknowns of the outdoor season and with the uncertainty of Minnesota weather, it could be a long time before the team competes outside.
St. Thomas has an expectation to win the outdoor conference championship at home this year and hopes to move athletes to the outdoor national championships as well.
“We are in a good place with the team,” Mathre said. “Our rosters are strong and we’ve got some pretty good depth and talent.”
No matter what year or season it is, the Tommies take pride in their winning history.
“It is Division III, but at this school people take it extremely serious,” Kozlowski said. “It’s a fun environment and a competitive environment where everybody is pushing everybody to grow. It has been amazing.”
Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.